Process of making football cleats



Nov. 8, 1927'. 1,648,873

W. H. ALBEE PROCESS OF MAKING FOOTBALL CLEATS Original Filed Oct. 21, 1925 a t/j, WW

INVENTOR I WWW ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 8, 1927.

, UNITED STATES 1,648,873 ArENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM H. ALBEE, 'OF'MARLBORO, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR T O KOEHLER MANU- FACTURING COMPANY, OF MARLBORO, MASSACHUSETTS, .A CORPORATION OF MAS- SACHUSETTS.

PROCESS MAKING FOOTBALL CLEA' IS.

Original application filed October 21, 1926, Serial N 0. 143,206. Divided and this application filed March 26,

' 1927. Serial No. 178,732.

This invention relates to football cleats and to processes of manufacturing them.

The usualprocess heretofore practiced of equipping a shoe with a football cleat has consisted in cementing together pieces of leather to build up a block or blank of the desired height, then-nailing this assembled piece to the bottom of a shoe, and finally trimming said piece either with a knife or with a hammer and chisel to form a cleat of the desired shape and size; This process obviously requires a great deal of hand labor, it produces cleats which are notuniform in size or shape, and there is great danger of cutting the sole or heel of ashoe in. trimming the cleat. In fact, this process really involves performing the greater part ofv the manufacturing operations on the cleat after it has been secured to the shoe; The present invention aims to improve this process with a view to reducing the expense involved, improving the quality of.

the work produced, substantially eliminating the dangerof in uring the shoe, and: producing a superior cleat. I

The nature of the invention will-be readily understood from the following description when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, and the novelfeatures will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims. I i

Referring now to the drawings, 7

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a cleat blank or block;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the b'lock after it has been trimmed; I

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a completed cleat;

Fig. 4 is a transverse, vertical, cross-sectional view of the cleat shown in Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a crosssectional view showing the manner in which the cleat preferably is secured to the sole of a shoe:

Fig. 6 is a plan view of another form of cleat embodying this invention; 7 v

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the cleat shown in Fig. 6; and

Fig. 8 and 9 are side views of portions of mechanismszwhich may conveniently be used in performing certain of the cleat trimming operations. p

According to the present process the manufacturing operations on the cleat are first distortion, several holes,

completed and subsequently it is secured'to the ottom of a shoe. The cleat may be made of any suitable material but usually it consists of'several'lifts of leather 2 cemented together, one on top I of the other, to form a blank of the, desired dimensions. This blank is then run through or between cutters which trim its edges or sides, producing the inclined edge faces which give it the shape of a frustum of a pyramid, as shown-in Fig. 2. The cleat is next molded or compressed in suitable dies or molds for the purpose. of consolidatingthe stock, and of concaving the bottom of the cleat, as indicated at 3 ,in Figs. 3 and 4. That is, the bottom is inwardly curved, being given substantially the shape of the surface of a section of a cylinder, the axis of which extends lengthwise of the cleat, so that the two edges at opposite sides of the base of the c'leat lie below the remainder of the base. This makes the base of the cleat conform substantially to'the curvature .of the sole of a-shoe so that when it is nailed on the sole the edges of the cleatwill hug the sole tightly. The concaveshape of the base 'also has the advantage of preventing the edges of the cleat'from curling up when the cleat is nailed to the shoe, which has been an objectionable feature of prior constructions. I

During the molding operation and while the surfaces of the cleat are confined against usually four, are punched almost through the cleat from the upper surface thereof, these holes being designed to receive the nails or other fastenings by means of which the cleat ultimately will be secured on the bottom of the shoe. The cleat in this condition forms an article of commerce. I prefer, however, before marketing the cleat, to drive into it the fastenings by means of which it is to be secured. to the shoe, thus producing a cleat that is entirely self-contained. A particular advantage of this arrangement is that the nails can all be driven at once by machinery so that a substantial saving in labor is ef- .fected, the nails are driven uniformly, and

7 bottom of a shoe, an iron the consequent damage to the cleat and probably also to the shoe. Figs. 3 the cleat C with nails 4 partially driven therethrough, the head and a substantial length of each nail projecting above the upper surface of the cleat. These nails preforably are driven into the position shown in Figs. 3 and l while the base of. the :cleat.

rests on a curved support so that the curvature of the bottom of the cleat will not be distorted. The points of the nails may 'pricir through the bottom face of the cleat.

The entire trimming operation need not precede the molding; in fact it is preferable under some circumstances to trim the biock longitudinally to produce the opposite inclineded-ge or side faces, then compress it, and subsequently, while the block is in the more consolidated and stable condition, to trim the remaining pair of edges or end faces. The holes are punched later while thefcleat is supported againstdistortion.

For the purpose of ailiiring a cleat to the last usually is inserted within the shoe. The cleat C is placed in the desired position on the shoe bottom, and the nails 4 are then driven through the cleat and into the shoe sole, the points 5 of the nails clendhing on the surface of the iron last; There is considerable danger. of splitting the cleat during this operation, or at least distorting it so much that it presents an unsightly appearance, and in order to overcome this. objection I prefer to confine the lateral faces or edges of the cleat while the fastenings are being driven. For this purpose thepleat preferably is attached by means of a tool like, 'or similar to, that shown in my Patent No. 1,568,308, dated January's, 1926, this tool having a cavity to receive the cleat and support its lateral edges while the fastenings are being driven.

Fig. 5 shows the cleat in cross-section after it has-been secured to the bottom oi the sole of a shoe S, the end '5 of the nail 4; being clenched, as clearly illustrated. By shaping the cleat, as above described, and supporting its faces against distortion during the operations of punching holes therein and driving iastenings therethrough, any danger of splitting the cleat, or distorting it substantially is completely avoided. Consequently, when the process has been completed, the cleat presents aneat and finished appearance. Furthermore, this invention not only results in giving the cleats a uniform and moresatisfactory appearance, but it applies them to the shoe in such a manner that they are stronger and there is substantially less danger of their becoming loosened than when applied by the processes heretofore practiced. In attaching prior cleats there has been considerable tendency for the edges to curl up and thus provide a crease between the cleat and the face of the sole into which and 4 :show

' seven,

dirt and mud would work. This crease also facilitates the loosening of the cleat. The construction above described, however, effectually prevents such an occurrence, the longitudinal edges of the cleat at the base, hugging the sole tightly. danger 0t cutting the shoe is completely avoided, and damage to the shoe or the cleats due to imroper driving of the fastenings is eliminated. Furthermore, the cleats-provided by this invention are preferred by the trade be cause they can be applied tothe shoe more easily, particularly when they are loaded with nails, as above described i It is a common practice to secure a considerable number of these cleats, frequently are nailed tothe heel or a football shoe. 5 In playing on'a'muddyfield it is found that'the mud packs badly between the, cleats so that on the sole of a shoe, and usually three much of their usefulness is lost. I have found that "this difiiculty canbe reduced very substantially by making .the cleats in .the form shown at D in Figs. "7 and 8. These cleats are made from a blank like that shown in Fig. 1, the longitudinal "edges being trimmed by forcing the bl-ankbetween stationary inc-lined knives set. at the proper angle to produce the inclined lateral edge faces, as above described in connectionwith Figs. 1 and 2. The cleat in this condition is then trimmed to produce rounded or convex inclined ends, as shown at 6 6111 Figs.

6 and 7. This'trimming operation maycon veniently be performed in the machine shown in another application, certain tea tures of this machine being shown in Fig.8.

Referring to the latter'figure it will be r I observed that the machine includes a holder 7 provided with a cavity 8 in which they par: tially trimmed cleat is inserted. Preferably the cleat has been molded before this end trimming operation is performed, and the holder serves to prevent any substantial distortion of the cleat during thisoperation, the

holder having surfaces to engage the inclined edges and the concave bottom of the cleat. A spring pressed plunger 9 holds the cleat compressed and firmly'secured in the holder 7, while knives 1010, carriedby a rotary head 12 which is mounted to rise and tall,

shave or trim the surplus stock 0d the ends of the cleat. The holder 7 preferably is stationary while the knives rotate about it, these knives revolving about an airisyextending vertically and centrally through the cleat D. As the cutter head 1'2 is lowered the knives trim off substantially all the material projecting beyond the edges of the holder d and produce the-convex end surfaces 6-6,

as shown in Figs. 6 an d 7. Substantially the same organization can also be used in trimming frusto-conical cleats, as'flshown in Fig. 9, the cleat blank being supported on a post or holder 7 while the knives 10''1'0 carried in the rotating and rising and falling head 12 trim the blank down to the desired size and shape. I v

The cleats shown in Figs. 6 and 7 preferably have holes unched in them in the man ner above described in connection with the cleat shown in Figs. 3 and 4, and they are loaded with nails in the same way, care being taken to prevent them from being split or distorted while the holes are being punched and the nails driven.

These round ended cleats do not present the same opportunity for the packing of mud between adjacent cleats as do the cleats shown in Fig. 3. That is, they do not present broad flat surfaces in opposed contiguous relationship to each other where the'mud can wedge in between them. At the'same time they have the strength and ground gripping properties of the cleat shown in Fig. 3.

This application is a division of my pending application Serial No. 143,206, filed October 21, 1926.

Having thus described my invention, what I desire to claim as new is:

1. That improvement in the process of manufacturing football cleats which consists in cementing together lifts of leather, one upon the other, to form a cleat blanlrof approximately rectangular form, trimming opposite edges of said blank to produce 1nclined edge faces thereon and to make the top of the blank much smaller in area than the bottom, and trimming the opposite ends of the blank to produce inclined convex end faces thereon.

2. That improvement in the process of manufacturing football cleats which consists in cementing together lifts of leather, one upon the other, to form a cleat blank of approximately rectangular form, trimming the edges of said blank to produce inclinededge faces thereon and to make the top of the blank much smaller in area than the bottom, and molding the cleat so formed to concave the bottom thereof.

3. That improvement in the process of manufacturing football cleats which consists in cementingv together lifts of leather, one upon the other, to form a cleat blank of approximately rectangular form, trimming op-' posite edges of said blank to produce inclined edge faces thereon and to make the top of the blank much smaller in area than the bottom, trimming the remaining pair of edges to produce inclined edge faces thereon,

molding said cleat to concave the bottom thereof so that the longitudinal edges of the base of the cleat will lie in a different plane from the center line of said base, making holes in the cleat to receive fastenings by which it is to be secured to a shoe, and supporting the cleat against distortion while said holes are being made.

4-. That improvement in the process of manufacturing football cleats which consists in cementing together lifts of leather, one

upon the other, to form a cleat blank of approximately rectangular form, trimming opposite edges of said blank to produce inclined edge faces thereon and to make the top of the blank much smaller in area than the bottom, trimming the remaining pair of edges to produce inclined edge faces thereon, and supporting the cleat against distortion while the latter pair of edges is trimmed.

6. That improvement in the process of manufacturing football cleats which consists in cementing together lifts of leather, one upon the other, to form a cleat blank, trimming the edges of said blank to produce inclined edge faces thereon and to make the top of the blank much smaller in area than the bottom, molding and pressing the cleat, making holes in the cleat to receive fastenings by which it is to be secured to a shoe, and supporting the cleat against distortion while said holes are being made.

7. That improvement in the process of manufacturing football cleats which consists in cementing together lifts of leather, one upon the other, to form a cleat blank of approximately rectangular form, trimming opposite edges of said blank to produce inclined edge faces thereon and to make the top of the blank much smaller in area than the bottom, shaping the opposite ends of the blank to produce convex end faces thereon, and compressingthe blank while said shaping operation is being performed.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed this specification.

WILLIAM H. ALBEE. 

